Late inning trouble hurts Phils in 6-4 loss

The Phillies’ short two-game win streak came to an end on Thursday with a 6-4 loss to the Dodgers in the opener of their four game set. Phenom Yasiel Puig burned them in the seventh with a two run single off Justin De Fratus just a half inning after they had taken their first lead of the game.

Jonathan Pettibone provided a quality start after struggling early, but to no avail as the Phillies fall even at 2-2 on their road trip.

Bullpen comes back to Earth

Yesterday the Phillies’ pen gave them seven innings of scoreless relief. Today they did not get as good an effort. De Fratus came on in relief of Pettibone in the seventh, and allowed two runs to cross on Puig’s single after he had allowed a hit and walked two ( one intentionally).De Fratus lasted only two thirds of an inning.

Antonio Bastardo followed him with an inning of work, but he too allowed a run as the Dodgers gained insurance and never looked back.

Two homers for two guys heating up

Chase Utley homered and drove in two runs in the Phillies’ 6-4 loss to the Dodgers. (AP)

Chase Utley whacked a solo homer in the seventh to give the Phils the lead, his ninth of the season and second of the road trip.

Utley has hit safely in the last six games and six of his seven games since coming off the disabled list. He also added an RBI single in the game.

Domonic Brown also went deep with a solo shot in the ballgame, which was also his second homer of the road trip. The slugger has 21 home runs so far this season, which is tied for the league lead with Carlos Gonzalez.

Up next…

Game two of the series will feature a couple of lefties on the hill. John Lannan (0-2, 5.84) will make the start for the Phils while Chris Capuano (2-4, 4.09 ERA) will take the baseball for the Dodgers. First pitch is set for 10:10 ET.

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27 Comments

Ryne Duren

June 28, 2013 at 8:20 am

If only Howard would have a little patients and smarts to watch a pitch when he’s at 3-0 in the count. With one out and men on 1st & 2cd why not? If he had any kind of idea what it means for the bases loaded and one of our most productive hitters on deck. But noooo he has to swing at a possible ball 4 !
To make matters worse he falls down covering that bunt! Yea I know things happen but for as many decent plays he does make, he makes as many bad ones. That’s totally unacceptable in my eyes. It’s no wonder they are below .500 with the team mindset they have. I’ve never seen in my lifetime a team that will do anything to NOT take a walk. They have maybe 3 -4 players who will actually work the count. How many times have you seen both Youngs go down swinging on three swing an misses on ball thrown to the outside bordering on not being a strike or Howard and Rollins swinging over that pitch that breaks down to their feet. You would think they’d be able to recognize the pitch by now. Sometimes they actually do. On Howards at bat I was referring to the pitcher threw 3 balls in a row that broke down to Howards ankles and he let them go. The other teams know he’s a sucker for that pitch. They know his capabilities so instead of throwing a strike to him they throw it off the plate and in his stupidity he swings at it instead of taking and it’s doubleplay time. Totally disgusting this team. It’s time for a change of managers and philosophy too.

Ryne,
That Howard at-bat was putrid. If I remember correctly a few of LA’s runs started with a walk. This team is an enigma so far. I’m so frustrated watching these guys and yet I keep watching and hoping.

That lack of patience at the plate really bothers me its been going on for years as the Phillies hitters seem to make life easier for the other teams pitchers. The Ryan Howard mess from last night was only the most recent (and most glaring). At least make the pitcher work a little more; instead he swings at a 3-0 pitch and grounds out into a inning-ending double play!

We (P’s fans) maybe wouldn’t have to watch three more K’s from our first baseman if Ruf was up and playing in his place. But the GM has got the offensive problems solved they signed Minimart senior John Mcdonald.

That’s Ryan Howard’s quote. He also said he felt like he cost the team the game due to his play on the field and at the plate. I believe that he truly feels bad when he fails to make plays, but the way I read that quote is this-

He has good numbers but I think given that situation in the game he should have taken at least one pitch.. in that cooking it would take three pitches to strike him out that would give him two chances to get a hit or walk if he would have taken that pitch… of course if he hits a three run bomb there we’re not even discussing this

That’s interesting info Schmenkman, but I was referring only to last night my friend. His quote last night wasn’t about his career and/or his success in 3-0 counts, it about last night’s game. I never said anything about Howard making poor decisions in throughout his career on 3-0 counts or anything else about his career.

And again, I appreciate that he is so conscientious. But based on that quote I believe that last night he had no intention of taking on that pitch. And I think that was the wrong approach, last night. I can think of only one other time in his career that I felt this way.

I read that quote differently. In my opinion, he swung 3-0 because with a decent swing he felt he would have clobbered it. As he himself said, “I have to make a better swing.”

Many time, despite what some people think, that 3-0 pitch is one you WOULD want to swing at. No pitcher would want to load the bases for another power bat (in this case, Brown) so that 3-0 pitch is probably going to be one that gets a decent piece of the plate.

I’m not saying that pitch to Howard was all that fat, but I also don’t think it was a bad decision to swing, it was just a bad swing. Bad swings have been taken by every batter in history.

In any case, I know he was only talking about that one at bat and not about his career. I was trying to show why he might consider it a good approach to go after the 3-0 ptich, when a) the team is trailing, b) there are runners on base, c) the team relies on him to get those runners home, and d) he’s had very good success when he puts the 3-0 pitch in play (my impression of his line of thinking).

Now, as I said somewhere (game thread?), I wish he had taken there and put more trust in Brown to get the runners home, and if Brown continues to hit I hope Howard comes around to that approach, and in fact I think he did that several times when Brown was on his tear.

fyi, at 3/18 (17%), that % of times that he swings 3-0 is below his career rate of 20%. Some years were much higher: 2008 (28%), 2009 (33%), and 2011 (28%).

George I can see what you’re point. I’m the one of the few here that does believe in the aggressive approach. I think you and I had a conversation once about how pitch number one is usually a very good pitch to swing at despite conventional wisdom, and it’s the same with 3-0.

I just think there is a time and a place where you think about looking at one pitch. With Dom Brown behind you, in that situation, I believe you look at one. If it’s fat and you stand there, the next one is just as likely to be a strike too.

Schmenkman, that was too easy. My one and only problem with the Carpenter pitch was that he was the leadoff batter in that inning. A home run would only tie the score, not win it, in a game where we were clearly having trouble producing offense. I’m fine with them green- lighting him most of the time, just not every time.

Lefty, what you say about the pitch after the fat 3-0 one isn’t true a lot of the time. Sometimes the fact that it hasn’t been whacked will give the pitcher more confidence in his command. That next pitch may very well be a strike, but it might be a very good one. Too many times I’ve seen a big fat K after a 3-0 count.

I think this entire 3-0 thing could be debated until doomsday. So much of it is a player’s judgement. It’s quite possible that a good swing would have made the issue moot, but Howard, by his own admission, did not make that good swing. We’ll never know what might have been either way. If he’d taken, and even taken ball four, there’s always a chance that Brown would have hit into that DP, or two outs would have followed without a run crossing.

You guys are crazy if you think the Phillies should fire Charlie Manuel!!!!

I agree w not renewing his contract after this season, but u DO NOT fire him.

Typical 2013 American Society- something doesn’t go exactly right we complain. Bc we want instant gratification. Team sucks bad. Isn’t Manuel’s fault. Team game- and it starts at the top and down to that 38yr old dude we just signed. (And for a P2BNL- who??- why).

Why is it crazy to fire a guy whose baseball philosophy is hit a three run homer and we’ll be ok… it’s time to get a new voice in here, focus more on fielding, hustle, and pitching… pitching and defense wins ball games, it’s time to get a new philosophy and maybe we can salvage this season, they have a hitting coach for a reason, they don’t need Charlie telling them how to hit too… if something doesn’t change this season will be lost just like last season

You guys are crazy if you think the Phillies should fire Charlie Manuel!!!!

I agree w not renewing his contract after this season, but u DO NOT fire him.

Typical 2013 American Society- something doesn’t go exactly right we complain. Bc we want instant gratification. Team stinks bad. Isn’t Manuel’s fault. Team game- and it starts at the top and down to that 38yr old dude we just signed. (And for a P2BNL- who??- why).

Usually I agree with swinging on 3-0 when the pitch is in a certain zone. But a border line ball on the outside of the plate you do not swing. If it a pitch he can drive then OK he flies out I’m ok with that. I think he was pressing and going to swing at any pitch which is frustrating to watch. Hope tonight they turn it around. The plus is Pettibone pitched well after the first and did give the pen a rest after the 13 inning game the night before

The philosophy and the be the hero attitude is why this team has 1 WS title and not 2 or 3.

I will goto my grave thinking that if the 2005-2013 Phillies had Pete Rose at 1B they win another title possibly 2 more titles.

The Carpenter swing away still burns me as did last nights.

Thankfully Howard is a good guy and he does feel bad. If he had the Rollins persona Id truly deeply dislike Howard.

You can goto opening day of 2011 and see my post. I said the Line up wasn’t good enough to win a title. Because of its core.

Even though the division was locked down because it was a historicaly great pitching staff. So it does amuse me that a team with Rollins hitting 3rd and Howard 4th stinks in 2013?

Besides a few kool aid drinkers are people really surprised?

If Mike Schmidt came back. And as a .150 hitter Charlie would hit him 4th though.
Cause hes a clean up hitter???

Ive been saying for a long time you cannot win a title with this line up and philosophy. Not even to mention the other teams pitching around the Phillies line up to get to the clean up hitter and they put in a left hander and its over.

No as a point of amusement. The Phillies are facing a left hander tonight and tomorrow.

I a moron on a blog am sitting Howard out of my fantasy line up.

My team the real life Phillies will not only play him but hit him 4th. A guy with a .173 batting average and a .516 OPS.

OK yea I want to win and sometimes I question if the Phillies do.

And yes contending will not be happening at any time in the near future. As long as Ruben and Charlie are running the show.

Both have openly said they don’t like walks. And encourage those 3-0 weak ground outs.

just BTW Howard is hitting 1 for 8 with a .125 average on 3-0 counts in 2013

We will probably see Delmon Young in the lineup as well. He really is not much better this season against Lefties. He is hitting .200 against Lefties. He is however hitting .303 away, compared to .175 at the Bank. I would probably want to start Mayberry seeing how he is hitting .304 (with a few more at bats as well) against lefties. He is also hitting better on the road then at the bank.